Moving Through Life Gently

Today I wanted to write again about how I want to greet the day. Last Friday's Unity Daily Word was Gentle. I love this concept in many ways. The affirmation was

I move through life gently.

This follows so nicely after my wonderful mindfulness walk last week. "Like a warm breeze that softly touches the skin, I interact with the world gently. I respond to all people and situations in a calm, loving manner. I listen with an open mind and give with an open heart. Today I choose to extend gentleness to everyone I encounter, including myself."

These are the first sentences of the meditation. I choose gentleness (and peace) each day. I choose gentleness because I want to be treated with gentleness. Life has plenty of harsh and hard lessons for us. I have an aging mother who more and more each day seems to be losing contact with reality. It's hard for her and for me and my siblings. I also have a friend, a young mother with two grade school-aged children and a loving husband who was diagnosed over 2 years ago with inoperable cancer, given 1-3 years to live. She writes that treating cancer is her job. This is a harsh diagnosis and hard for her, her family and everyone who loves her. There are many ways life and we can be hard:

• hard and fast (rigid, unchangeable, unalterable)
• hardened (unbending, deadened)
• hard going (tough, laborious)
• hardheaded (willful, stubborn or sensible, rational, shrewd)
• hardhearted (brutish, unfeeling, heartless)
• hardnosed (stubborn, unyielding)

The best way to meet these challenges is with God's love and gentleness. Gently is how I want to greet each day and each person I meet during the day. (See May 27 post - How will I greet this day? By the simple act of asking this question, I remind myself that I have a choice.)

From James 1:19-20 - You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.

Go gently today and every day. With love,

~ Jean

Image: 123rf.com

Look Up

What beauty looking up into a tree!

The cliffs overlooking the D&R Canal

Coneflowers with guest

Sweet corn over my head
(or as high as an elephant's eye)

The Hunterdon Hiking Club has resumed their Mindfulness Hikes on Thursday mornings. I joined the group this morning at 10 a.m. We began walking from the Frenchtown River Parking lot, crossed the Delaware River bridge, and joined the Delaware and Raritan Canal Path on the Pennsylvania side.

The Unity Daily Word for today is Awe. The affirmation is:

I am in awe when I behold God in all things.

Part of the meditation is: "God is the source of all the beauty and goodness that surround me." As I think about that I know it to be true both in my physical world and in my spiritual world. When I look around me I see people doing kind things for others. When I look around my physical world I see beauty in the trees, flowers, and butterflies. "I am simply in awe," as the meditation says in the last sentence.

Before I left my house I looked up the next Mindfulness Exercise from see your way to mindfulness by David Schiller. Exercise 3 is "Look Up." This is what I intended to do today.

The pictures are from my walk. Enjoy! I did.

~ Jean

Peace for a Friend

I received a text from a friend early this morning (7:12 A.M.). She wasn't able to attend a planned meeting this morning because ... This is her text:

Our son is having a breakdown and we have to fly out to Seattle ASAP. I don't know when we will return. I'm sorry for any inconveniences. (two emojis of praying hands)

Although I know their son is an adult, my immediate response was "Just take care of your boy."

A little later I read the Unity Daily Word. How fitting that it is Comfort. The affirmation is

Journeying to Jerusalem within, I arrive at perfect peace.

And a bit of the mediation:

Whenever I find myself feeling in need of comfort, my pilgrimage begins. As I relax, I envision each inhalation bringing me closer to the Christ presence within my heart. Exhaling, I feel my burdens lift, lightening my load a little at a time. Step by step, breath by breath, I release my earthly concerns.

This message is to me but I also take it as a message about my friend and her family. I hold the thought of peace for her even if she cannot right now. 

~ Jean

Image: emojipedia.com

Harmony Within

The affirmation for a recent Unity Daily Word was

The harmony I seek begins with me.

The first couple sentences of the meditation are:

It's natural to want to live in harmony with other people and the world around me, but I cannot expect to find harmony around me if there is inharmony within. I search myself for anything that may be keeping me from living harmoniously.

It's easy to find inharmony within me when I am anxious about the present and the future. What's ahead today? What's going to happen tomorrow?  

I am grateful that I can get myself out of that merry-go-round by simply reminding myself that I am going to greet this day with the affirmation for today:

My life is in divine order.

The last two sentences of the meditation are:

Remembering divine order helps me realize my highest good is always on its way, even if I see no evidence of it yet. I trust this orderly process of manifestation and feel grateful for it.

I love writing these posts because they always remind me to notice what is good in my life. Thank you God!

~ Jean

Image: livingfullywellness.com

Incomparable

There are so many reminders outside of ourselves that we are ordinary, imperfect, flawed human beings. We compare ourselves to siblings, coworkers, even total strangers, and find ourselves lacking. We are not smart enough, pretty or handsome enough, not rich enough, not something enough (we all can fill in that blank easily). But we need not do this comparing.

On June 10, 2021, the Unity Daily Word was Shine. Here is an excerpt:

From a great distance, the stars at night shine brightly … If I were able to see the stars from a closer distance, I would see each star as an individual light, no two alike … if even one were missing the sky would not be as bright. I am a star shining my divine light as only I can. No one else has my exact gifts and abilities…

When I read that Daily Word I immediately thought of the following. It's been on my magnet board for a very long time: Over 11 years since Sunday January 31, 2010. From time to time I re-notice and re-read it. It too reminds me that I am special and unique – the only me in the world. My calendar of the day* back in 2010 said this:

“Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable.” — Brenda Ueland

When I read Brenda Ueland’s words, I take a deep breath and let it out very slowly. I am incomparable. Just letting myself truly know that elicits a feeling of awe and reverence — reverence for myself.

Then on June 24, the Daily Word was Belong. Here is an excerpt:

Among the billions of people on this planet, there is only one me. There is not another soul on earth who can make the unique contributions I am here to make….Embracing and celebrating all that sets me apart helps me to see how each of us is here to do what no other can. Each one of us is a part of the full spectrum of creation, and we all belong.

I know that I am imperfect; I also know that I am perfect in God’s eyes. I hold in my heart and soul that I am unique and incomparable. It feels great!

~ Jean

* I cannot attribute this to the original calendar because I did not record which calendar it came from. My apologies to the original source.

Image: earthsky

Hold This to Your Heart

From the Unity Daily Word for Friday, July 7: Protected:

There is nowhere I can be that is outside of God.

I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Hold this to your heart.

From today's Daily Word: Freedom

... I am always free at the level of spirit. No situation or circumstance has power over me.

~ Jean

Heart Image: alegitimatejourney.com
Freedom Image: ascensioncos.com